Dracopedia
by honeycakehorse
Summary: How Charlie fell in love with his job.


Rating: G

Challenge: Challenge #27 Pastfic. Somebody falls in love with somebody they shouldn't.  
Character: Charlie Weasley

**Dracopedia**

He was beautiful. There was no other word to describe it. Red and gold, like his house colours, but so much more. He had never seen anything like it. Now he also understood why Hagrid was so enamoured with those animals. Even in the pictures he could see the grace they possessed, the power hidden behind those smooth scales, the fierceness of them.

Charlie turned the page of his Care of Magical Creatures book. He had always been interested in animals. Had brought home puppies and frogs and snakes and bugs to keep as pets, only to have to get rid of them again. The only ones who stayed were the garden gnomes, the first one of which he had found as a five-year old.

Now, he finally had the chance to really work with those animals. Professor Kettleburn had told them to be prepared for Nifflers in their class, but Charlie already knew almost everything about them; and so his attention in the library had wandered from one book shelf to another, until it had finally settled on "Dracopedia - A Guide to Every Dragon You Could Ever Hope to See".

After two pages, Charlie had already been entranced. The gleam of the scales, the fury of the fire. He could almost feel it on his hands. From this moment on, he knew he had found his calling - he was going to work with those beautiful beasts. Learn everything there was to know about them.

He couldn't wait until they would finally cover dragons in Care of Magical Creatures.

From that moment on, Charlie Weasley spent every spare minute behind a book of dragons. The only thing that could lure him away were Quidditch practise and food - he was a growing boy after all. The glittering of the Snitch reminded him of the golden spikes around the snout of the Chinese Fireball, the first dragon he had seen in that book.

When he finally finished Hogwarts, he send applications to dragon reserves all over the world. His mum had become overbearing and he didn't think he could cope with her constantly fretting over him and telling him to get a proper job.

'Perhaps a nice spot at the Ministry, Charlie. Your father heard that they are looking for somebody at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.' He shuddered at the idea.

He would have to... put down animals, for no other reason than that some wizard thought it was dangerous. No, he knew he could never do that and live with himself.

So, he was overjoyed when he was accepted at one of the biggest reserves of the world. His mum fussed about him being so far away from home, but Bill already worked in Egypt, so she didn't have any good reasons why he couldn't move out as well. After all, she had five more children to mother.

And today was the day. The day, he would finally start the job he had always dreamt about. Charlie carefully checked his luggage. It would be too draining to just pop back if he had forgotten something and it would look incredibly stupid if he had to take a day off because he had to return to England to fetch something important.

He looked one last time around his room. He had already said goodbye to his family and decided that it would be easier on everybody if he just Apparated from his room. For a last time, he took in the empty shelves and walls of what had once been his and Bill's room. It would probably go to Ron now, so he didn't have to bunk with the twins anymore.

Then, with a deep breath, he concentrated and put all his power behind the Apparition spell. Apparating half across Europe wasn't an easy feat, especially as it wasn't really his forte.

He let out his breath when he could feel hard ground under his feet again. Hopefully he had done it. He opened his eyes and looked around.

In front of him, he could see a sign portraying a flying dragon, fire spilling from its snout. Then he heard it for a first time: the roaring of a Norwegian Ridgeback.

He was finally home.


End file.
